Wing-Kam Ng’s research while affiliated with Chinese University of Hong Kong and other places

Chong and Ng (2008) find that the Moving Average Convergence–Divergence (MACD) and Relative Strength Index (RSI) rules can generate excess return in the London Stock Exchange. This paper revisits the performance of the two trading rules in the stock markets of five other OECD countries. It is found that the MACD(12,26,0) and RSI(21,50) rules consistently generate significant abnormal returns in the Milan Comit General and the S&P/TSX Composite Index. In addition, the RSI(14,30/70) rule is also profitable in the Dow Jones Industrials Index. The results shed some light on investors’ belief in these two technical indicators in different developed markets.

This article examines two oscillators - the Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD) and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) - to see if these rules are profitable. Using 60-year data of the London Stock Exchange FT30 Index, it is found that the RSI as well as the MACD rules can generate returns higher than the buy-and-hold strategy in most cases.